Thank You
by ACCclosed
Summary: AU, OOC   some fluff  She looked into his eyes and spoke, "Thank you." He shook his head as he brushed his lips against hers, "No Thank You," - "For what?" - He leaned in closer and whispered, "For loving me."
1. The Day She Was Given Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. And I never will.

**Thank you.**

**Chapter 1: The day she was given hope.**

It was just another day for one Haruno Sakura. She walked through the streets of her home town with all eyes on her. She looked up and took note of all of the male population staring at her in awe. The girl scoffed and mumbled to herself.

"Disgusting vultures," she spat.

She continued walking through the streets, whilst receiving stares and cat calls. There was no concealing it she felt horrible. You see, Haruno Sakura was what you would call, 'the village whore'. That's probably the only to put it truthfully. She has a tall, slender figure, jade eyes and most unusually, pink hair. Her tresses of pink hair landed just below shoulder length and floated as she walked in the breeze. There's no doubt about it, she was very beautiful and to guys, she was very _very _hot.

The pinkette stopped in front of the club door and sighed, she actually hated her life. You may be thinking why? She has looks, sure… but what good are looks if all they're used for is to seduce men? The girl has a boyfriend… although to her, he's not a how a boyfriend should be. And, she has talent… the pink haired girl is highly skilled when it comes to fighting, and she has immense power.

What about her boyfriend? Sakura was pretty sure she actually despised him… It was impossible not to. He was the leader of the infamous 'Black Dragon' gang. He pushed her around, he forces her into things… and on top of that he sleeps with other girls, even when Sakura herself is around, literally right under her nose. But what else could she do, she had fighting skills… but they had guns… One false move by Sakura and she knew she'd be dead, with no room for doubt. Sakura was also alone; she had no one, so even if she was able to escape from his grasp where could she go? It was like being in a prison and even though she was able to walk around freely, she wouldn't dare to try and leave the village.

She sighed again as she knocked upon the wooden door and as soon as she did it opened.

"Babe, you're here. Finally."

Sakura's eyes flickered to the man who stood up to greet her. He was a rather tall and lean man, who had dark hair and red eyes. He was slim and sported a black, pressed suit. The type you'd usually see hit-men and con-men wearing in the films.

The pinkette managed to smile, a fake one at least. She took a breath to calm herself before answering, "Good afternoon Ryu."

The young man chuckled as he pulled Sakura into an aggressive kiss. And in that instant Sakura cringed inwardly and she knew what he wanted tonight. She hoped and hoped each and every day for some kind of interruption, anything… a thunderstorm, a car crashing into the side of the hideout, a stranger knocking upon the door… just something.

"Do you understand your mission?" the gang leader said.

A chorus of 'Yes' and 'Hai' could be heard from the members who had stood to await orders.

"Kaka-san, are you sure about this?" a long haired girl asked.

The tall leader nodded. "Positive." He replied as he gave a smile to the girl before turning to his gang and shouting. "Alright, you know what to do. Now let's crash this party."

Sakura swallowed hard as Ryu moved to her neck and began to lead her towards the bed. She couldn't do it, not now… not with him. She couldn't give it to him, she refused… so she couldn't help but let out a squeal of protest against him.

The man took a small step back, "babe, what's wrong?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Good, because I think it's about time. It's time for you to finally give yourself to me." He almost shouted.

Sakura couldn't hold back. As soon as her head hit the pillow she began to struggle and scream. "Please Ryu! Get off me!"

"Now, now Sakura. Just let it happen." He spoke darkly.

"Get Off!" Her anger rose, she would not let him take her virginity… she'd protect it with her life. She promised herself that when she had turned 16, 5 years ago. So taking his head in between her little hands she put pressure onto his temple, putting as much force into it as she could. When she finally pulled him up enough she threw him against the wall and jumped off the bed running towards the door.

"You fucking bitch!" Shouted Ryu. "You're not going anywhere!" Sakura looked at him as he pulled out a knife from under his bed. He walked towards her and with his free hand grabbed onto Sakura's wrist tightly. "You'll pay for that you know." He said threatening her. The girl knew this was her only chance so she threw one solid and strong punch in his direction, aiming towards his face.

The next thing she knew Ryu had the knife he was holding in Sakura's arm, but Ryu was sprawled out on the floor. He struggled to get up and touched his nose. He growled darkly, "you made me bleed, you fucking slut!" Sakura flinched as the pain from the knife shot up her arm, that was it… it was over for her now… she had no power. She knelt down onto her knees clutching her arm tightly as Ryu stood back up and grabbing a gun from his belt strap. "Die."

A flash of black flew past Sakura's eyes. And when she looked again, a man stood in front of her in a fighting position. Then he spoke, "I don't think you want to do that."

"Oh I think I do, believe me." Ryu seethed at the new comer.

"Hn. Did she do that to you?" He said signaling the bleeding and bruises that covered Ryu's face. Ryu said nothing. Then the 'new man' chocked out a few laughs, "You let a girl beat you up? You're weak." Ryu still said nothing. "And I see the knife that I guess you stabbed her with?" The next thing happened too quickly for Sakura to see. There was a flash of black and a click. When Sakura looked up the stranger had Ryu pinned down on the floor and holding a gun to his head, "It makes me sick when filth like you think it's okay to treat girls that way, now it's your turn to die." With one press of the trigger the gun sounded and Ryu stopped moving.

Sakura looked up at the mysterious man, it was too dark to see what he looked like though. Before she could say anything the man had his hand in front of her, "take my hand" he said. Sakura hesitated but grabbed onto his hand. "It's okay" he said. "I'll take you out of here and to my village… you'll be safe there." For some reason Sakura didn't seem to distrust this man so she slowly stood up, but her footing faltered and she lost balance.

However, the man caught her quickly and helped her to stand again. "That wound looks nasty; I'll try to be quick okay?" Sakura raised her eyebrow. "Lean on me." He said and Sakura did so, confused. The man yanked out the knife from her arm and quickly placed pressure on it, only earning a small scream from the pinkette.

"Thank you." Sakura said.

The man nodded in politeness before the pinkette spoke again, "Can I know the name of my savior?"

Said man chuckled slightly, "Uchiha Sasuke. And you are?"

"Haruno Sakura."

The next thing Sakura knew she was opening her eyes and looking at a room which consisted of one bed, some chairs and white walls. She wondered where the hell she was, and just what happened.

She rose from the bed and walked towards the door and slowly opened it, peering out to the other side. She saw a group of people talking together, she couldn't hear what they were talking about, and so she ignored them and looked around the huge hall more. There were people sitting at computers and others working with small metal gadgets. Where the hell has she been taken?

"Oi Sasuke!" Sakura's eyes flicked to where she heard the name. She'd heard that name before…

_The man nodded in politeness before the pinkette spoke again, "Can I know the name of my savior?" _

_Said man chuckled slightly, "Uchiha Sasuke. And you are?" _

"_Haruno Sakura."_

Oh yeah, he saved her from Ryu. And she saw him, she could see him very clearly now. He had black hair that was spiked; he had onyx eyes that were half covered by his bangs. His form was tall and muscular, as she could see the outline of his abs under the shirt he was wearing. Sakura's breathing increase, by which she didn't understand at all.

"What?"

"Your girl seems to have woken." The tall man said as he looked straight at Sakura.

Sasuke spun around and met Sakura's eyes in his glance. "Aa" he said as he walked over to where Sakura was standing. "How're you feeling?"

Sakura shrugged, "okay, a bit dizzy… but otherwise okay."

Sasuke pushed her into the room she had previously occupied. "Get back into bed" he said as he pulled up a seat and stuck it next to the left side of Sakura's bed. Sakura obeyed the man and laid back into her bed.

"Sasuke-san?"

"Don't be so formal, just Sasuke."

Sakura jolted slightly. '_Ah so he's a guy that gets straight to the point? Interesting…' _"Sasuke-Kun?"

Hearing her add the suffix to his name made him smirk. "That will do." He said.

That's when Sakura first saw the famous Uchiha smirk, and she was glad she did. It took all of her self-control to keep herself from blushing like an idiot. She soon pushed all of the thoughts out of her mind and turned to face the Uchiha.

"Thank you." A small, but true smile graced her lips.

Sasuke looked up at her and managed a half smirk, half smile… well at least he tried right? "You're welcome. Now sleep." Sasuke told the girl as he stood up from his chair. Only when he heard a small squeak from the girl lying in the bed did he stop and turn to face her.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

He raised his eye brow, motioning for her to continue. "Could you er… Well… Could y-you-" Sakura looked down as she twiddled her fingers together. "Would you mind?" She signaled the chair that he had previously been occupying.

Sasuke sighed and sat back down onto the chair. "Would I mind staying until you fall asleep?"

Sakura, with her head still lowered, nodded slowly. "If you wouldn't –"

Sakura got cut off when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she looked up and came face to face with the eyes of the Uchiha. She wasn't sure how long she gazed into his eyes but however long it was, she didn't want to look away ever. But there was something in his eyes that she noticed when she looked away from him. Pain and anguish. She was pulled away from her thoughts when Sasuke muttered two words to her. "My pleasure."

Sakura had spent a week in that same room, the nurse that attended to her wounds insisted she was not to walk anywhere for the week, so Sasuke took to visiting her. That, she was grateful for, and she was very thankful to the nurse that had healed her wounds. The knife penetrated more than she thought, and any movement of Sakura's arm caused blood loss. The door to the room opened and in stepped her usual nurse.

"Sakura-san, how are you feeling today?" The long haired girl smiled at her.

"Hinata please stop calling me that, I hate formalities…"

"Could you please answer my first question then… Sakura."

Sakura smiled and nodded, "gladly." Sakura looked at the girl, she had long, dark purple hair. Her eyes were a light lavender colour and were pupil-less. Over the time that Hinata had looked after Sakura, they had become great friends, almost like they'd known each other for their whole lives.

"I feel great today." Sakura smiled. "Ne, Hinata?"

Hinata looked at Sakura, "Yes Sakura?"

"When can I get out of here? This room is too closed off from everywhere else…"

Just as the girl was about to reply the door opened and in stepped Uchiha Sasuke. As he walked him, he looked at Sakura, and smirked. "You can leave this room today if you like."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Is that true, Hinata?"

Hinata only smiled and nodded at the girl. "I'll be going now Sakura, I hope to see you again soon." She gave Sakura a friendly hug and then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Sakura's eyes trailed over to the figure that was looming over the foot of her bed. Her gaze again locked with his, but this time Sakura was unable to hold her ground and looked away flustered. What was surprising to the Uchiha, is that he had to take a couple of deep breaths to actually calm himself down. After he was fully satisfied, he sat on the same chair he had been for the past week and looked up at Sakura.

"Good morning Sasuke." She smiled.

"Hn."

Sakura giggled, before she got infuriated by his use of non-words, but now she got used to it and giggled whenever he did it. "What brings you to see me today?"

"I need to ask you something."

Sakura looked at him for a moment. Then spoke, "Shoot."

"You can leave this room now… which also means you can leave this place and this village. So, if you want me to, I can take you back to your previous village, it's safe there now, you won't have any problems."

Sakura stayed silent. Sasuke took this as an answer that she wanted to return to her old village. He admitted he'd miss her, she made him smile, which he hasn't done since childhood. It was just nice for him to have a change of scenery , someone fresh to talk to. He got up and said, "I'll get the arrangements ready."

"Sasuke…"

"I'll be back in five."

"Sasuke…"

"Two minutes."

"UCHIHA!"

Sasuke jumped slightly, and his eyes widened for a second. He swung around to meet her glare. "Will you stop and listen to me?" She almost shouted.

"What is it Sakura?"

"Isn't there any way I can stay?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me Sasuke. I don't want to go back to that village of vultures… I don't want those men looking at me like that again… I don't – I don't want – I –"

Sasuke rushed the girl's side and placed his arms around her. "Calm down Sakura. You don't have to, I just assumed you'd want to, because –"

"Because what? I have nothing to go back to. I never have. So why can't I stay here?"

Sasuke chuckled slightly. "Sakura, you need to calm down. You can stay here, if that's what you want." He felt Sakura nod on his chest. "Hn, then it's settled."

_**Huh, I know… crappy first chapter? xD Well, Tell me what you think, any ideas? I'm pretty sure I know the storyline of this story now. The title of this story… I just came up with on a whim, so that's why it's pretty shocking heh. Oh + This is only going to spread across 7 – 15 chapters, and yes the next chapter WILL be longer.**_

_**R&R (:**_


	2. The Day He Couldn't Help Himself

Disclaimer: I still do not own Naruto.

A/N; The way I wrote the previous chapter came out kinda wrong, for example there were no breaks in it, so it was difficult to tell where the scene changed. Sorry for any confusion, I'll take more time with this chapter, promise. xD Oh and about Sakura being the village whore – yes, I also wrote that she hadn't given her virginity away yet, - but she was still known as that because all the men thought she slept around, basically it was due to rumors. I hope I cleared that up (:

**Thank you.**

**Chapter 2: The day he couldn't help himself. **

"Hey Sakura." The purple haired girl called out.

The pinkette spun around and smiled at the girl who was running towards her. "Hinata!" Hinata ran and stopped in front of Sakura as she crushed her with a friendly hug. "I heard you're staying. That's great news." Sakura giggled as Hinata let her go and nodded her head. "Yeah, I am." The purple haired girl smiled back, "Where are you staying?" she asked.

"With me." A voice said from behind the two friends. They both turned around to see Sasuke standing there. "That's so sweet of you Sasuke." Hinata smiled at the man. The man only turned his head to the side, his bangs covering his face as he mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that Sasuke?" Hinata asked. He sighed, "Nothing." He said turning to the pinkette. "Let's go Sakura." Sakura looked at him and nodded before hugging Hinata goodbye and following Sasuke out of the building.

"Ne, Sasuke-Kun?" Sakura asked as she stood dumbfounded at the vehicle in front of her. "What is it?" He asked as he straddled the transportation. "Are you insane? How do you expect me to ride on that?" She almost yelled at him. Sasuke cringed slightly at her squeal. "Simple." He said as he threw a helmet at Sakura. "Get on behind me, and hold on tight." He added as a smirk made its way onto the man's face.

"How the hell can I take my bags there on a friggin' motorcycle?" She yelled. Sasuke looked at her again. "Your bags are already at my place, my friends dropped them off for you earlier." Sakura stuck the helmet over her head and huffed. "Fine" She muttered.

Sakura walked over to the motorcycle and jumped on behind Sasuke. "You better not crash." She warned him. "With you here, I wouldn't dare." Although he had his helmet on Sakura knew he was smirking. "And you can wipe that smirk off of your face as well before I- AHH!" Sakura screamed as the bike started to move. "Hold on tight Sakura." Sasuke smirked again as Sakura grabbed onto Sasuke with all of her strength.

.

.

As soon as they stopped Sakura jumped off of the back and fell to her knees, "Land!" She screamed. Sasuke stood behind her and sweat dropped. "It really wasn't that bad, you know?" Sakura stood up and turned away, "I beg to differ."

Sasuke sighed as he lead her into his house. "Wow, this place is huge." Sakura gasped. In actual fact the building wasn't that big, just the size of a basic house, a kitchen, two bedrooms, a lounge area, a bathroom and a garden. "It's no different to what most people live in Sakura." He stated, although he was slightly confused at her expression.

"Oh, Really?" Sakura looked down, a blush finding its way onto her cheeks. "Erm, it's just that… In my old village, I only lived in a really small apartment… So… to me, this is huge…" She continued to look away. Sasuke walked over to the girl and placed his hand on her head. "Don't worry about it… I understand."

There was a moment of complete silence. No words, you could barely hear either of the two breathing. Sasuke looked down at the girl who still stood with her head down. _'She looks kinda cute actually…' _He thought as his cheeks started to burn up. However, he did not take his eyes off of her. Well, that was until she looked up and caught his glance. Her blush deepened even further. _'Yeah, she's cute…' _Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened as he quickly jumped away from the pinkette, bowing his head before she could catch sight of his blush. "Aa, sorry." Sakura raised her slender brow, "For what?" She asked. "Nothing… I'll take you to the guest room." He said as he sped out of sight. "Sasuke-kun, wait up!" Sakura shouted as she ran after him.

.

.

"This will be your room from now on." He lifted his hands, motioning her to go in. Sakura nodded and entered the bedroom. "This room is beautiful." She said as she opened the doors that lead out to the small balcony. Sasuke hesitated then followed her. He stood next to her and took a side glance at her as she looked up at the sky. "Sasuke-Kun?" Sasuke snapped out of his trance and flicked his head round to look at her fully. "Thank you." She smiled at him, and Sasuke's eyes widened again as she gave him a peck on his cheek. Sasuke bowed his head again and mumbled, "No problem."

Feeling another blush come onto his cheeks, he slightly panicked. "I'll be in my room if you need anything." He said out quickly before rushing to the door and closing it behind him. Sakura stood there confused, _'Why was he in such a rush?' _

Sakura saw that indeed her bags had already been brought up to her room and smiled slightly as she began to unpack. After that was done, she sighed not knowing what to do. In the end she decided to look around the house, so she opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

The pinkette walked downstairs and looked into the lounge area. It looked very homey; there were pictures of small children and multiple pictures of the same family all around the room. Sakura noted this and left the lounge, in search for the kitchen.

"Ah, maybe I can cook him dinner as thanks?" She asked herself as she turned around to look at the clock. "6:00 pm… Well now's as good a time as any. Now what should I cook?" She opened the cupboards and fridge to see what Sasuke had in his house. Soon she found numerous vegetables and pasta. "Perfect."

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.

Sasuke was sitting on his bed when his cell phone rang. He sighed and picked it up, "Hello?" He heard a mumble and various people laughing in the background. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Naruto, I know that's you. And I know that you're with everyone at HQ… and I'm on loudspeaker."

"Aw, man way to kill our fun, teme!" The man muttered. "What do you want?" Sasuke growled. "How's it going with that babe?" Sasuke sighed again, "Her name is Sakura, Dobe."

"I know that bastard!" Naruto yelled back. "Anyway, So how's it going with her?" Sasuke heard laughs on the opposite line. "Dobe, you're so annoying." Naruto grinned on the other side, "I know." Sasuke moaned again as his nose picked up something, he mumbled to himself, "Tomatoes."

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about teme?" Sasuke blinked. "What? I didn't do anything! She never made me blush! Uchiha's are better than that!" He shouted out quickly. Realizing what he said, his eyes widened. "Shit." He heard Naruto laugh on the other end. "Sasuke, you like her!" Sasuke grunted. "Shut up Dobe." He said before he hung up on his best friend. "Ugh, he's so-" Sasuke got interrupted by the sweet smell of tomatoes gliding up his nostrils. "Now to find out what that smell is…"

.

.

"What?" He asked, looking at the dinner table, which was already laid with cutlery and the necessary condiments. "What is this Sakura?" He asked again. Sakura turned to him and smiled. "I just wanted to thank you properly." Sasuke sat down at the table as Sakura brought over two plates of tomato pasta and placed them at the respective places on the table. Sakura sat down next to Sasuke and started to eat as did Sasuke. "Wow. I didn't know you could cook." He said. Sakura smiled again. "You never asked me."

After they finished their plates of food, Sakura got up and took both plates before putting them both into the sink. "Sakura, you didn't have to do this." Sakura turned on the tap and began to wash the plates. "I told you, I did it to thank you." Sasuke sighed. "You already said thank you to me." Sakura turned to face Sasuke. "I know… but I need to thank you even more." His eyebrow rose, "Why?" The pinkette stared at the man who still sat at the table. She raised her arms and slammed them onto the kitchen counter, making the Uchiha jump. "Baka! Because you saved me from Ryu, you took me with you and got me out of my hellish life. You also visited me when I was in that room at your HQ. You even took me into your home when I could've stayed somewhere else…How could you even ask such a stupid question?" She yelled at him, frustrated.

Sasuke stood up and walked over to the girl. She was tensed and shaking; he lifted his arm and placed his hand upon her head, again. He looked down at the counter and was completely shocked at what he saw. There were two huge dents in his kitchen counter from where he hands had penetrated the material. "Sakura, how do you plan on fixing that?" Sakura looked down at what her hands had done. "Crap, I'm sorry…"

Sasuke chuckled slightly. "Don't worry about it. I'll fix it tomorrow and I'll finish off the dishes." Sakura looked at Sasuke. "But –" Sasuke shook his head, "Go upstairs, take a shower and get some sleep. I'll do it." Sakura tried to protest but Sasuke continued to insist. After 10 minutes she gave in and walked up to her room. "Fine" she muttered.

.

.

Sakura walked out of the bathroom after having a long and very relaxing shower. She inwardly thanked that Sasuke's house had an on-suite in each of the bedrooms so she wouldn't have to walk through the house in a towel to reach her room. Well, that was until she walked out of the on-suite. Her eyes widened when she saw Sasuke laying on her bed with his head resting on the headboard. "Argh! Sasuke! What the hell?" She squealed, a blush very evident on her cheeks.

Sasuke's head shot up, as his eyes widened. In front of him was a half-naked Sakura, wrapped up only in a towel that only reach mid-thigh, and her pink tresses were wet and clad to her neck. _'Shit.' _He inwardly cursed as he continued to eye her body. _'Does she have any idea what she's doing to me?' _He looked at her and smirked, as she blushed even harder. "Sasuke, get the hell out!" She said as though she was threatening him. Sakura held the towel even tighter, making her curves more visible to Sasuke. He could feel his nose hurting. Instantly his mind told him 'nosebleed alert'. Quickly, his smirk vanished as he got up and fled her room, slamming the door behind him.

Sakura didn't take any chances; she grabbed her clothes and shut herself in the bathroom. After she got changed she walked back out and checked the room. No Sasuke. She sat on her bed, the blush still evident across her cheeks.

She didn't see or hear Sasuke again that night. So she decided to forget about their little encounter and she fell asleep, letting her mind wonder.

.

.

The next morning her eyes fluttered open, she turned her head to the side and glanced at the clock. "7 am." Sakura sighed and got up. She was always an early riser, not that she minded. She got up out of the bed, stuck a baggy jumper over her head and walked downstairs into the kitchen.

When she reached the kitchen she was startled when she saw Sasuke already sitting at the table, his head in his hands. Sakura looked down at her feet as she walked towards the coffee machine, turning it on. "Morning Sasuke-kun…" Sasuke looked up but quickly looked away as he saw Sakura's bottom half. She was obviously wearing a lace nighty under that big jumper that much he knew. He could see the bottom of it as it just about covered her backside. He grunted, "Morning."

"Have you had anything to eat?" Sakura asked still not looking at him. "No." He answered. "Are you hungry?" Sakura asked him as she opened the fridge. "I don't know." He answered. Sakura giggled slightly. "What's so funny?" He asked her, confused. "You're hungry Sasuke, aren't you?" He looked at her. "Aa."

After the pinkette finished, she placed a plate of food in front of the Uchiha. "Eat up." Sasuke looked up at the girl and nodded. "Thanks." Sakura nodded at the man in acknowledgement as she sat next to him, sipping her coffee. "Sakura, sorry about yesterday… I shouldn't have just walked into your room." Sakura nodded again, "Let's just forget about it, it was awkward for both of us, and a moment I'd rather forget." Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I agree."

Sasuke finished his breakfast and stood up, putting on his shoes. "Ne, Sasuke-Kun?" He looked up, "Hn?" Sakura raised her brow. "Where are you going?" Sasuke finished putting on his shoes and stood up. "Work." Sakura looked confused. "You mean gang work right?" Sasuke nodded at her question. "Ooh, can I come?" Sasuke stopped from walking out of the door. "Sorry Sakura, not this time." Sakura looked down, "Another time?" She looked back up, with hope swimming around in her jade eyes. Sasuke smirked at her, which made her blush. That in turn, made his smirk grow wider. "Sure." Sakura turned away from him. "Thanks." Sasuke watched as Sakura's figure disappeared into the lounge. Satisfied she would be okay, he left for HQ.

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"Oi, Teme!" The blonde yelled as he ran to his best friend. "Don't even talk to me Dobe." Naruto looked defeated, "Aw, why not?" He asked. "Because I know what you're gonna talk to me about, that's why." Sasuke muttered. "And what's that, Sasuke?"

A man with brown hair appeared. His eyes were a dark coffee colour as was his hair, which was tied up into a spiked pony tail. He looked at the two friends and smirked towards the Uchiha. "We all heard you on the phone Sasuke." His smirk grew even wider. "Shut up Shikamaru…" The Uchiha growled. "But that's true, we heard about everything." Another man stood next to Shikamaru, a taller man which pupil-less eyes and long dark hair. "You can shut it too, Neji."

"So Sasuke… What's the dirt?" Sasuke looked to his left where Naruto stood, grinning at him like an idiot. "Nothing. And even if there was any, why the fuck would I tell you?" He scowled. "Calm it teme." Naruto said, backing away slightly.

This was the reason why Sasuke left Sakura at his place. He knew that they would all bombard him with questions on his accidental 'confession' over the phone. Which he knew, would only make matters worse.

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Sakura lay down on her bed and sighed. "What should I do?" She thought for a moment. "I guess I could watch movies or something." She got up and walked down stairs, heading for the lounge. She flicked through the DVDs and when she found the one she wanted to watch, put it in the DVD play and pressed the play button.

She stood back up and sat on the sofa, hugging onto a cushion. The DVD began and she settled down and watched.

.

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"Negative." Neji said to Sasuke through his transceiver. "What do you mean, Neji? I can get those bastards." Sasuke whispered back. "Don't rush in Sasuke." Shikamaru spoke too. Sasuke moaned and obeyed the genius. "I'll tell you when." Shikamaru said. "Is everyone in position?" Sasuke asked.

He got a round of "Yes." And "Affirmative." He smirked as Shikamaru said the word he was waiting for. "Now!" Obeying Sasuke jumped out and sprinted towards the two guards at the door, taking out his katana and slicing them both. "Ah, Sasuke, why'd you always have to take them? We never get a chance!" Naruto whined.

"Stop whining Naruto, he's just doing his job." Shikamaru said as he appeared from the shadows with Neji behind him. "What's the next step?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru looked at the three men, "Next, we kill them all. Neji?" Neji nodded, "Byakugan!" He said. "There are 10 more on the other side of this door, and then after that the one we're looking for is beyond the next door, with one guy with him." Shikamaru nodded. "Okay, here's what we'll do…"

"Got it?" He asked. Sasuke, Naruto and Neji nodded. "Well, let's go."

Naruto kicked the door, and the doors burst open revealing 10 men. "Right again Neji." Neji came out from behind Naruto and smirked at the men who stared at them in shock. "Of course."

One of the 10 men glared at the two and then smirked. "You know, coming here… means you're wishing for a death sentence." Neji and Naruto's eyebrows rose up. "Really?" Laughed Naruto. Both of them chuckled as they took of their hats and jackets revealing their clothes which held the gang's symbol on it. On both of their arms were symbols of a kunai knife with a leaf on the surface of the kunai.

The 10 men's eyes widened. "You-You're-" Neji smirked, "That's right, we're one of the ninja gangs." Shikamaru appeared from behind one of the men, "Prepare to die." He whispered to one of them who was closest to the shadows. The remaining 9 men flicked their heads to the left as they heard one of their men shout.

Sasuke jumped down in front of Naruto and Neji. "Rule number one… Never take your eyes of your opponent." Sasuke ran at two of them, as they ran to him. In a blink of an eye Sasuke was already at the other side of the room, standing before the door that held their goal inside. The two men that ran at them were sliced in two, on the ground.

"Go Sasuke!" Shikamaru yelled. Sasuke nodded and burst into the next room.

Naruto laughed at the two men he'd been fighting. "What's so funny?" One of the men seethed at the blonde man. "Look behind you." The two men stood their ground, blocking punches that were thrown their way by the Blonde Ninja. "You'd think we'd fall for such a simple trick" the other joked.

The two men were on the floor, both of their necks slit open. "Rule number two… Always keep an eye out for approaching enemies." Naruto spoke to them as he leant over their dead bodies. "Thanks Neji." Neji nodded. Shikamaru jumped towards them, "Right there are 6 left. Neji you take the two on the left, Naruto the two on the right… and I'll get the two in the middle." They both nodded. "You got it." Neji smirked.

.

"You understand why we're doing this to you right?" Sasuke whispered to the man as he grabbed his throat, holding him against the wall. The man he was holding looked down at his dead sub-ordinate at his feet. "He won't survive that, trust me. And you won't survive this either."

Sasuke tensed his arm as a flash of lightning appeared in the palm of his hand. The man's eyes widened in fright, as sweat beads fell down his face. "Today you die." Sasuke smirked as he pushed the lightning ball into the man's stomach. "Chidori!"

He let go of the man and he fell dead at his feet. Sasuke winced and grabbed his arm. "Fuck!" He cursed and looked at his bleeding arm, annoyed at himself that he let the man's sub-ordinate injure him. Sasuke continued grabbing onto his arm as he left the room. The sight that greeted him was what he expected. His three comrades were standing over the 10 dead men, unharmed. He heard Shikamaru mutter something to the men, "Rule number three, Never underestimate Leaf Nin."

Sasuke smirked at his three comrades. "Mission: Successful" he said.

.

.

Sasuke smirked when he saw her sleeping figure on the sofa. He walked over to her and kneeled down beside her. "I only met you two weeks ago… but have you any idea what you do to me?" He murmured.

Sakura moaned a little, "Sasuke-Kun? Is that you?" Sasuke jumped back, surprised by her awakened state. _'Fuck, she didn't hear that right?' _He shook off his fear and answered her, "Yeah, it's me." She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?" She said, yawning. "1 am." He answered. Sakura swung her legs around and stood up facing Sasuke, when her eyes widened noticing the blood on his sleeve.

"Sasuke, what happened to you?" Sasuke looked confused and then looked down when she looked at his arms. "Oh, it's nothing." Sakura pushed him, "It's not nothing, let me have a look at it. Sit on the sofa now!" She ordered. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of her temper he did as he was told and sat down.

Sakura ran out of the room and up to the bathroom, taking out the first aid kit then rushing back down stairs again. "Sakura, I'm okay really." Sakura ignored Sasuke and prepared things for his wound. "Baka! You're hurt, I need to see that wound." Sasuke sighed and slipped his top off, Sakura inwardly thanked that he was wearing a t-shirt and his wound was on his mid-arm. "This might sting a little." She said as she placed the cloth on his arm, he winced in pain. "Fuck Sakura!" He yanked his arm away. "What the hell are you using?"

"Calm down Sasuke, It's medicinal ointment, It will help… Trust me." Hesitantly Sasuke gave her back his arm as she placed the cloth back over the wound. He flinched again, but when Sakura's spare hand found its way to his injured hand, it seemed to ease his pain.

Sakura finished cleaning his wound and covered it up. She packed away the medical kit and put it by the sofa, since she'll more than likely need it tomorrow to re-bandage it up again. "So, do you plan on telling how you got that?" Sasuke looked down. "I was on a mission, okay?" Sakura nodded, "Fine." Sasuke only realized now that Sakura was still only in her lace nighty as she was this morning. When she looked at him he smirked at her and stood up.

"Stop smirking like that." She said. He walked towards her as she walked backwards. He continued walking towards her until she was sandwiched between Sasuke and the wall. "Why's that Sa-ku-ra?" He smirked again, going even closer to her.

Sakura stuttered, "S-Sasuke… w-what are you doing?" Sasuke smirked again as he pinned her against the wall. He leant down and placed his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Sakura, you brought this on yourself." He lifted his head and looked at Sakura, her jade eyes widened as he closed the gap between their lips. Sasuke's hand stroked her arm, convincing her to relax a bit. Sakura was still shocked, she was frozen. Her legs felt weak, Sasuke noticed this and his arms swung round her waist to keep her up, he wasn't ready to break the kiss yet.

Sakura was too weak, she couldn't hold back so she raised her arms and put them around his neck and kissed him back. Sasuke's tongue brushed along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. It was granted when Sakura opened her mouth, and each tongue fought for dominance.

After five minutes Sasuke finally pulled away and panted heavily, as did Sakura. Sasuke dropped his arms, "I'm sorry Sakura. I-" Sasuke was interrupted when Sakura placed her finger over his lips to silence him. "It's okay Sasuke, I'll take that as a very generous thank you." She smiled at him. Sasuke stepped back as Sakura walked out of the room and went upstairs.

Sasuke sighed. "But that wasn't what it meant…" He moaned to himself, slapping his forehead, "Fuck!" he shouted.

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_A/N, Second chapter done (: I think this is better than the first, so please review. Any questions or queries, ask away. Oh and I'm kinda crap at writing action stuff, this was my first ever action piece. Forgive me for that. xD I hope you enjoyed it, it usually won't be updated this quickly, but I've had half term so I had free time ^_^_

_Expect the next chapter to be out in one or two weeks. _

_R&R (: _


	3. The Day They Understood Each Other

Disclaimer: You got it right, I STILL do not own Naruto.

**Thank you.**

**Chapter 3: The day they understood each other.**

Almost a week had passed since our Hero and Heroine had shared their first kiss. She didn't like the way things had turned out after that night, and nor did he. The first couple of days were too awkward and Sakura hated thinking about them, she woke up in the morning, went downstairs and cooked breakfast for her and Sasuke. However, when she placed the plate in front of the Uchiha he didn't utter a word of thanks to her, nothing. He sat in his respective seat and stared into space. The awkwardness in the atmosphere was thick and Sakura couldn't handle how awkward things had become, so she got up and left her breakfast without another word.

The same happened the second day. Not one word to each other, not even when Sakura bandaged his wounds after he came back from a mission. He'd occasionally steal a glance at the pinkette, and try to open his mouth to say something, anything to break the tension in the air. But seeing the way she looked, he decided against it and just let her tend to his wounds.

The third, fourth and fifth days were slightly less awkward. When Sakura came down to breakfast, she walked over to get her morning coffee, but to her astonishment Sasuke spoke. "Good morning." He muttered. Sakura poured her coffee into a mug and took a sip, answering him. "Mm, Morning Sasuke." After the third morning greeting, he bid her farewell when he left to go to HQ. He also greeted her when he arrived back home at 11 pm that same night. Exactly the same occurrences happened on the fourth and fifth days. They greeted each other, said farewells and asked some questions.

It was now the sixth day that the tension was in the air. It was a Saturday and Sakura didn't awake until 10 am. She smiled to herself when she walked downstairs, not expecting Sasuke to be there since he had to 'work'. She inwardly thanked that things were slowly becoming less awkward. But at the same time, Sakura couldn't help thinking about their kiss. Why'd he do it? Why me? She continued to ask herself as she walked into the kitchen and to the coffee machine. She almost dropped the mug that contained her coffee, when her breakfast was already prepared for her, the cutlery she'd need already laid out on the table and Sakura blossoms in a vase by her seat.

Her mouth gapped open as her eyes noticed a note that was by the side of the food. She picked it up and looked at it; it was in a neat calligraphic style. "Typical of Sasuke." She murmured and smiled to herself as she read the small note he left her.

_Sakura, _

_I've prepared you breakfast, all you have to do is heat it up. It might not taste great, but it's the least I could do. And I'm sorry for what happened last week. I know that I screwed everything up; I need to talk to you about this later._

_Enjoy your day,_

_Sasuke._

Sakura's eyes widened at his short note. "He actually wants to talk?" She whispered to herself.

.

Sakura had been cleaning the house all day; she did everything from tidying up to polishing the photo frames that surrounded the lounge. She looked at the clock 6 pm. That's when she heard the door creak open and close behind the new comer. "I'm back Sakura." Sasuke announced. "I'm in the lounge" She yelled back.

In a matter of seconds, Sasuke appeared behind her and whistled. "You sure cleaned in here didn't you?" Sakura shook her head. "I cleaned the whole house." Sasuke eyes widened for a moment, they went back to their usual half – closed state. Sasuke walked over to the sofa and fell back onto it, sighing heavily.

"Thank you." Sasuke looked at Sakura who was now sitting beside him. "Hn?" he asked. "For breakfast. It was great. I didn't know you could cook." Sasuke smirked when he remembered Sakura's first night in his house. "You never asked." Sakura giggled slightly. "Very funny Sasuke." Sakura watched Sasuke for a moment before speaking again, "I read the note you left…" She trailed off, the Uchiha tensed a bit before replying to the girl. "Aa." He said.

Sakura looked down. "Y-You said you wanted to talk about it right?" She stuttered slightly, a blush evident across her cheeks. "Aa." Sasuke repeated and then continued whilst he looked at her. "Sakura… Look at me." Sakura didn't move so Sasuke placed his hand on her cheek, then traced her jaw line before placing his hand under her chin and pulling it up gently. "Look at me." He repeated in a gentler tone. Sakura's eyes moved to look at him instantly. "I'm sorry Sakura –" He paused. "I don't know what came over me that night… So I apologize." Sakura's blush became deeper as Sasuke bowed his head slightly to hide his small blush with his bangs. Sakura's eyes softened before repeating the same words the Uchiha said a moment ago. "Look at me Sasuke." Sasuke lifted his head and looked at Sakura. "Stop apologizing for it, okay?" she said.

"But I was in the wrong, I should be apologizing." Sakura shook her head. "No, It was a thank you right?" Sasuke looked at her in confusion and took a deep breath before shaking his head too. "No." Sasuke stated. Sakura's slender eye brow rose up in question, wanting him to continue his line of thinking. "I didn't kiss you for a thank you. Not even close. You're misunderstanding me." Sakura looked at the Uchiha and her jade eyes widened slightly. "But then wh-"

The pinkette's question was cut short when Sasuke's phone rang. He moaned and flicked open the receiver end and spoke, "Hello?" He asked. "Sasuke! We've got a BIG Problem!" Sasuke winced when Naruto yelled down the phone. "Be quieter Dobe. What's happened?" Naruto's voice quieted down a little bit when he answered Sasuke. "You know those guys who we saved Sakura from?" Sasuke seethed slightly, "Yeah, what about the bastard?" Sasuke's fist clenched slightly. Sakura noticed his change in behavior and decided to grab onto his clenched fist, slightly caressing it to try to calm him down… It seemed to work.

"Well he…" Sasuke tensed again. "Naruto tell me, what the hell happened?" Naruto stuttered slightly on the other side. "Well- H-He's not as dead as we thought he was –" Sasuke stood up suddenly, making Sakura jump in surprise. "Wait, don't say anymore Naruto, I'll be at HQ in 10 minutes." Sasuke hung up the phone and tried to calm himself down, _'that bastard, how the hell did he survive that?' _He cursed inwardly when Sakura's hand came around and grabbed onto his hand.

"Sasuke, what's happened?" She asked kind of scared of what his answer might be. Sasuke looked down at the pinkette and calmed down slightly. "Nothing, just 'work business', Something's come up. I – I have to go." Sakura dropped her arms to the side and nodded. "Okay. Go." She said. Sasuke nodded and walked out of the house. He left Sakura standing there pondering on two things. What's happened to make him so angry? And what did he mean by that kiss? And even when that week finished she still had no idea what that kiss meant.

.

"Shikamaru, what the hell's going on?" Sasuke almost yelled at the genius. Half of the leaf nin had assembled to hear Shikamaru's theory. Sasuke stood in front of the brown haired boy, demanding answers as Naruto and Neji stood either side of him. Hinata stood next to Neji, and next to Hinata stood Ino. She had long blonde hair and pale, blue eyes. It wasn't hard to see the love she looked at the genius with and vice versa, It made you wonder what's holding them back? Next to Naruto was Kiba, a tall, dark haired man, with two red triangles on his cheeks. Shino and Choji stood behind the others, Shino, tending to his bugs and Choji, stuffing his face with chips. Everyone else seemed to already be on missions, including Sasuke's older brother, Itachi. The only other person in the room was Hatake Kakashi, who stood behind Shikamaru, making sure that no one attacked him before he had a chance to explain. Namely, one Uchiha Sasuke. "So, what's going on Shikamaru?" Sasuke demanded from his comrade.

"Calm down Sasuke. I'll tell you just sit." Shikamaru said. All of the members obeyed him and sat down waiting for Shikamaru's reasoning.

"Well, to the point –" Shikamaru started, and paused… then continued, "Ryu is still alive. He's not dead. Sasuke didn't kill him." Shikamaru said bluntly. Sasuke's whole body tensed. "What the hell are you talking about? I saw it with my own eyes, he was dead!" Naruto countered. Shikamaru shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I've been doing research on them. It turns out that… they're like us." Everyone in the room looked up at Shikamaru in confusion. He sighed and continued. "Geez, try to follow what I'm telling you… What a drag." Ino came up and slapped Shikamaru's head. "Ow! Ino!" Ino seethed at the man, "Get on with it Shikamaru." Shikamaru nodded slowly and turned back to the members. "The black dragons are a ninja gang… just like us." Sasuke stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Why'd he just walk out like that?" Naruto questioned confused. Shikamaru sighed. "Naruto, Sasuke is clever. He's already worked it out." Naruto looked at the genius. "Aa okay, So what did he exactly work out?"

"How Ryu survived." Shikamaru said back at the blonde ninja. "And how?" Shikamaru sighed heavily. "Geez, Naruto… Ryu is a ninja like us… It's simple. He used a clone." Naruto stared blankly as did everyone else in the room, apart from Kakashi. "W-What? How? When a clone is destroyed a puff of smoke appears and the clone _disappears!" _Shikamaru nodded. "Correct Naruto. However, it is possible to do what he did. He prolonged the life of his clone making it almost as solid as the man himself." All the members nodded and Shikamaru carried on. "So he cheated us all. Being a ninja he could have easily hid his chakra and very easily escaped his hideout without any one suspecting a thing. And there's a chance he'd target Haruno Sakura." Neji butted in, "And that's why Sasuke left as soon as he'd worked it out." Naruto nodded again. "It makes sense now."

Kakashi walked towards all of the members. "It is now everyone's mission to keep an eye out on Haruno Sakura, when she's alone, and even when she's not. I trust all of you to already know when and when _not _to glance in on her private life, especially when she's with Sasuke." Everyone chuckled slightly, knowing what the man meant. "Remember, protect her. This man, Aragi Ryu… is dangerous. Watch out." All members nodded to the silver haired man. "Dismissed."

.

Sakura was sitting on the sofa in the lounge, watching the TV. She sighed heavily, again, the pinkette was thinking about Sasuke. She sighed once more, "Aa, geez. That's all I seem to think about." She inwardly moaned, but her ear pricked up when she heard the creak of the front door. She looked at the lounge door, waiting for Sasuke to walk through, but he never did. Sakura heard footsteps ascending the stairs and she frowned. _"What the hell happened down there?" _she asked herself. The pink haired girl pushed herself to her feet and followed the footsteps until she stood outside Sasuke's bedroom.

She took a deep breath and knocked… Once, twice, three times. "Sasuke-kun?" Sakura murmured. No answer, she took hold of the door knob and pushed it open slowly. Before stepping fully inside the room she spoke again, "Sasuke?" She asked. Her eyes flicked over his room, no sign of the man. She walked in further until she came to the balcony doors. The pinkette noticed an outline of a figure standing outside on the balcony, so she carefully opened the doors and walked out and sure enough, in front of her eyes, was Sasuke.

She took a couple of steps towards him, then spoke again, "Sasuke?" she asked softly. The man didn't move so Sakura walked closer to him and raised her arm. The man still didn't move, Sakura placed her hand on Sasuke's shoulder, making him jump slightly. Sakura's eyes widened slightly, pulling her hand back to her body, "Sorry, I was just trying to get your attention…" She looked down holding onto her hand that had just been pushed off of Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke sighed and grabbed onto that same hand, and at the same time crushing Sakura in an embrace. Sakura's jade eyes widened in surprise and shock, "S-Sasuke?" She stuttered. "I'm sorry." He whispered on her shoulder. "N-No, it's my fault for startling you…" Sasuke's hand gripped Sakura's and again he whispered, "I'm sorry." Sakura's eyebrow raised in confusion, "Sasuke, I a-already told you –" Sasuke's head shot up as he looked straight at Sakura. "No, It's not about that Sakura." He said. For the second time, Sakura's eye brow raised, "Why are you saying sorry for?" She asked. "I-I Can't tell you. Not yet." He replied, grabbing her into another embrace. "I'm sorry." He whispered one last time.

.

Sakura's eyes fluttered as the sunshine blazed through the windows and onto her porcelain skin. She opened her jade eyes and yawned, stretching a bit. The girl tried to get up when she felt something holding her down. Confused, Sakura looked to her left and her eyes widened in shock. Sasuke was lying next to her, holding her around the waist tightly. Yawning again, Sakura tried a second time to remove herself from Sasuke's s arms, however to no prevail. She looked back at Sasuke, who fidgeted as she tried to move.

"Don't even think about it." Sasuke spoke with his eyes still closed. Sakura blinked a couple of times to make sure she wasn't still in her dreams. "Sasuke?" she asked. The dark haired man scrunched his eyes tightly trying to shut out the light. Failing to do so, he sighed and opened his eyes. Jade met Onyx.

After a couple of minutes in silence, Sakura decided to say something. "Sasuke, are y-you going to let me go anytime soon?" She asked. Sasuke looked at the pinkette and smirked. She looked at him in confusion, "Sasuke, why are you smirking?" Sasuke continued to smirk, "Well, what if I didn't _want _to let you go?" Sakura's cheeks turned crimson as her eyes looked away from the man who was still holding her around her waist. "Y-You – Well… I-I" Sasuke chuckled slightly, still holding Sakura with one of his arms, he brought the other one up to her chin and made her look at him. "Why don't you look at me, Sa-ku-ra?" He said in a deep, seductive voice. Sakura's blush became even deeper, as her eyes met his. "S-Sasuke?" She stuttered. "Hn?" He replied. "Can you _please _let me go?" She almost pleaded him, although the blush on her cheeks was still deep.

Sasuke was slightly taken about by her words. He quickly removed his arms from her figure and looked away. Sakura inwardly sighed as she murmured a 'thank you' to Sasuke before walking out onto the balcony. Sasuke's eyes looked over to Sakura's figure, which was leaning against the railings on the balcony. He sighed heavily and walked outside, leaning on the railings next to her. "Sorry." He said. Sakura continued looking up at the sky and shook her head, "No, it's not your fault." She said back. Sakura looked at the pinkette and noticed the blush that was re-forming on her porcelain cheeks. "No 'work' today?" Sakura asked. "Nothing today, unless I get called in." He replied with a stotic expression on his face. "Hm." She mumbled. The dark haired man thought back to what had happened the night before, he'd already called Kakashi, telling him he would stay with Sakura at all times, unless there's an emergency or he's desperately needed.

"Sasuke-kun, can I ask you something?" Sakura asked. "Aa." Sasuke replied. Sakura turned to face Sasuke, the blush still making its home on her cheeks, and her eyes looked straight into his. Sasuke became worried as Sakura's eyes watered slightly, and the look on her face made him feel guilty. He could pinpoint all the emotions that she was feeling just by the look of her eyes, pain, sadness, confusion, there was even a slight hint of happiness in there. All the emotions that Sasuke could see made him even more confused and guilty. "I-I just need you to explain something…" She paused and took a deep breath; she slightly scrunched her eyes closed as she finished her question, "Why do I feel like this? _Do you have any idea what you do to me?"_

Sasuke's eyes widened at Sakura's words. "W-What?"

.

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_A/N; Well that's chapter 3. I hope you enjoy. (: And thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited this story and/or added this story to their story alert list. And sorry that my chapters are pretty short :/ But Thank you again. R&R ^_^_


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